Apple iPad Air (2026) with M4, N1 and C1X chips is here
Apple has unveiled its third new iPad Air in three years. The Apple iPad Air (2026) is equipped with the M4 chip, offers more RAM, and is the first iPad with Apple’s own N1 and C1X networking chips.
An upgrade from last year’s iPad Air M3 is unlikely to be worthwhile, especially since the prices will now fall. Instead, Apple is eyeing owners of the iPad Air M1 from 2022.
Apple iPad Air (2026) with M4 chipset
The new Apple iPad Air (2026) with its M4 chip is 30% faster than the 2025 version with the M3 chip. Not bad, but hardly a reason to upgrade on its own. Compared to the 2022 models with the M1 chip, however, the new version offers a massive 2.3x speed increase.
The Apple iPad Air (2026) has 12 GB of RAM instead of 8 GB. And it’s also faster with a bandwidth of 120 GB/s.
The M4 chipset in the new Apple iPad Air (2026) features an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU. The 16-core Neural Engine offers three times the performance of the M1 NPU. Combined with the larger and faster RAM, this will significantly improve the performance of AI applications on the device. The AI features are also used in Final Cut Pro, for example, when removing backgrounds from videos.
Colors: Space Gray, Blue, Purple and Starlight
For local networking, the tablet uses Apple’s N1 chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread (the smart home protocol). The 5G-enabled version of the Air is equipped with Apple’s C1X modem, which offers 50% faster Wi-Fi speeds with 30% lower power consumption than the modems in the M3-based Airs.
The new models still use Liquid Retina displays, as Apple calls its inexpensive LCD panels. Unfortunately, the refresh rate also remains at a slow 60 Hz.
Prices
The Apple iPad Air (2026) is available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes and starts at €650/$600 and €850/$800, respectively. This applies to the base models with 12GB of storage and 128GB of internal storage. With 1TB of storage, prices climb to €1,280/$1,100 and €1,480/$1,300, respectively. A 5G version adds €170/$250 to the price.
Please note that, as usual, Apple is offering a €50/$50 discount for teachers and students. Pre-orders will be available starting Wednesday, March 4th, with availability beginning the following Wednesday, March 11th.
Additionally, you can purchase the Apple Magic Keyboard (€329/$269 for the 11-inch model and €349/$319 for the 13-inch model), the Apple Pencil (€89/$79), or the Apple Pencil Pro (€149/$129). Educational discounts are also available for these items. The standard retail box includes a 20-watt charger and a USB-C to C cable.
In our Apple iPad Air 11 (2026) price comparison and Apple iPad Air 13 (2026) price comparison the first offers should arrive very soon.
